Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office detectives in Waechter’s arrest report said deputies traced a pre-paid debit card that the 70-year-old Siesta Key Association member purchased to donations made to Democratic candidates in the name of fellow Republican Lourdes Ramirez.

+ Sheriff’s Office had little input on beach projectNew Siesta Key Village businesses located on Avenida Madera are joining forces to improve their marketing efforts.

“What we want to do is brand the street,” said Jeff Madden, co-owner of Beach Bites, which opened Sept. 24. Owners and managers of Solorzano Brothers Pizza, Eat Here and Sub Zero Ice Cream and Yogurt, which opens Jan. 17, have discussed changing the alley’s name to “Eat Street.”

The effort is more marketing-based, Madden explained. Eateries could bundle advertising under the “Eat Street” brand, which would not require an official name change.

“We’re excited about it — the street is really coming alive,” Madden said. “It’s been dead for a while.”

The firm, chosen after Feb. 12, will collect data at sites and present five categories of repairs ranked by priority. The company will estimate the timeframe necessary for renovations and estimate repair costs, according to solicitation documents.